The Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive is a designated scenic route in southeastern

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

that links the two units of the

Kettle Moraine State Forest The Kettle Moraine State Forest is a state forest in southeastern Wisconsin. The chief feature of the reserve is the Kettle Moraine, a highly glaciated area. The area contains very hilly terrain and glacial landforms, such as kettles, kames an ...

. The route traverses through scenic and historic areas, including landscape shaped by

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

from the latest

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

, known as the

Wisconsin glaciation The Wisconsin Glacial Episode, also called the Wisconsin glaciation, was the most recent glacial period of the North American ice sheet complex. This advance included the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, which nucleated in the northern North American Cor ...

Route description

Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive generally follows county and local roads. It begins near

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

– at the southern expanse of the Kettle Moraine State Forest's southern unit (), the drive takes a northeast trek and passes through six counties:

Walworth Walworth () is a district of south London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the Old ...

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

, Waukesha,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, Fond du Lac, and Sheboygan. The route's northern terminus is near Sheboygan County Broughton Marsh Park northwest of Elkhart Lake ().

History

The idea of a route along the Kettle Moraine was believed to be conceived in the early 1940s by the Kettle Moraine Committee of the

Izaak Walton League The Izaak Walton League is an American environmental organization founded in 1922 that promotes natural resource protection and outdoor recreation. The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois, by a group of sportsmen who wished to protect fi ...

– Milwaukee Chapter, which was the backbone behind the development of the Kettle Moraine State Forest units. The first surveying of the area did not begin until 1946. The Wisconsin Highway Commission approved the route in 1948 and the first paving project was completed in 1950.

Attractions along the drive

The drive passes by various opportunities for recreation and tourism in the Kettle Moraine area. Access is provided to sightseeing, hiking, biking, camping, cross-country skiing and fishing facilities. The following state parks and forests are accessible via the scenic drive – from south to north: *Kettle Moraine – Southern Unit * Glacial Drumlin State Trail *Kettle Moraine – Lapham Peak Unit *Kettle Moraine – Pike Lake Unit *Kettle Moraine – Northern Unit The following historical sites are accessible via the scenic drive – from south to north: *

Old World Wisconsin Old World Wisconsin is an open-air museum located near Eagle, in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It depicts housing and the daily life of settlers in 19th-century Wisconsin, with separate areas representing the traditions of different ...

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

* Holy Hill near

Hubertus Hubertus or Hubert ( 656 – 30 May 727 A.D.) was a Christian saint who became the first bishop of Liège in 708 A.D. He is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers. Known as the "Apostle of the Ardennes", he was ...

Sylvanus Wade House The Sylvanus Wade House is a former stagecoach inn located in Greenbush, Wisconsin, United States. The house provided lodging and meals to travelers in the mid-1800s, before the construction of a nearby railroad made the stagecoach route obsolete ...

in Greenbush *Parnell Tower, an

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

near Parnell *The north terminus and the northernmost several miles of pavement was part of the original track circuit for

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...

in 1950. The corner at the north terminus was called the "Marsh Turn", and it is marked with a historical marker. There is also a historical marker along the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive in the city of Elkhart Lake marking the site of the 1951 and 1952 start/finish line.Simon, Brian (1999-12-21). Kettle Moraine Ride. Retrieved on 2007-08-26 from .

Gallery

Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive Turn in Southern Unit.jpg, March 2013 on the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive in the Southern Unit KettleMoraineScenicDriveFallColor2008.jpg, Busy traffic in fall ElkhartLakeWisconsin1951_2RoadAmericaStartFinishLineKettleMoraineScenicDrive.jpg, 1951/1952 start/finish line for Elkhart Lake race

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)
State highways in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Walworth County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Waukesha County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Washington County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Kettle Moraine State Forest